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December 09, 2013

The impact of Big Data on video gamers

Because video games happen in a virtual world, it's possible to measure just about every aspect of the game. It's kind of like being able to observe a sports match or a battle, but being able to attach a telemetry sensor to every player, every weapon and bullet, every surface of the environment, and gather all that data in real time. The Big Data revolution has made this possible, and video game companies routinely gather 50 terabytes of data per day to improve their games, operations and revenue.

“Almost all players will reach a point where they will plateau without self-reflection, analysis, and focused practice,” Sabine Hemmi of the League of Legends stat site Elobuff tells me. “Any player who understands the basics can learn from statistics. It will be easier for them to identify their weaknesses and focus on improving.”

But when it comes to the elite players, the numbers may not be as much help:

“If you go to a local chess club and pick a low-level player, it’s easy to spot flaws in their game,” explains Bill Grosso, CEO of Scientific Revenue. “Then, you go to the world championship of chess. It becomes really, really hard.”